Downsizing Your Home: What to Keep and What to Get Rid Of
There are plenty of reasons to home downsizing, whether it’s because you’re moving into a smaller home, cleaning out anything you don’t need anymore, or just trying to organize your home. No matter the reason, downsizing can often be a confusing and stressful task. What should you keep, and what should you move on without? What are the most effective ways to declutter? In this blog, we’ll go through our favourite tips for downsizing your possessions before a move.
Advantages of Downsizing Your Home
Downsizing involves creating a lifestyle that feels lighter, more manageable, and aligned with your financial and personal goals. Understanding the benefits of downsizing your home early can help you make confident decisions and enjoy a smoother transition.
Less maintenance
When you have less furniture, décor, and square footage, household tasks become easier and faster. Cleaning, organizing, and seasonal upkeep take far less time, freeing you up for hobbies, travel, relaxation, or family time.
Lower utility costs over time
Heating, cooling, water, and electricity bills typically drop when you move into a smaller home. Even modest reductions in space can lead to noticeable savings each month, especially if your current home is larger than you actually need.
A simpler lifestyle
Downsizing can help you cut clutter and focus on items that add value to your life. Many people use home downsizing as a way to create a more minimalist, organized environment that supports their long-term plans, whether that’s retirement, travel, or flexibility.
Reduced stress
By starting the process before you’re rushed, you can sort, sell, donate, and reorganize on your own timeline. Early preparation and knowing the benefits of downsizing your home helps avoid burnout, keeps decision-making manageable, and gives you more control over what your next living situation looks like.
Why to Downsize Your Home
Downsizing is often a strategic decision that supports financial goals and long-term lifestyle changes. Many people choose to downsize home to save money, simplify their routines, or free up resources for what matters most.
- Moving into a smaller space can reduce mortgage or rent payments, making it easier to manage monthly expenses.
- A smaller home typically means lower heating, cooling, and repair costs, which is one of the key reasons people downsize home to save money.
- Downsizing can free up money for travel, retirement planning, investments, or experiences instead of upkeep and bills.
- With fewer rooms and less maintenance, day-to-day living becomes easier to manage and less time-consuming.
How to Make Downsizing Less Time-Consuming
Many homeowners put off downsizing to the last minute and end up with multiple spaces in their home being used for storage for items they don’t need. Decluttering doesn’t have to be a major project, though; there’s plenty of ways to make your downsizing experience quicker and easier.
Of course, to avoid hours of decluttering in the first place, you can be a bit more mindful about what you buy. That doesn’t mean you can’t indulge yourself at all! But take a good, objective look at what you’re buying and decide if you really want or need it. That trinket you found might be cute, but will it just end up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere? Is it going to last, or break? How many times will you use it or look at it?
As for items you already have, the one-year rule is great for immediately removing possessions you have no use for. Have you used it in the last year? If not, it’s unlikely you’ll need to use it again.
Tips for Downsizing Your Home: Start Downsizing Well in Advance
Start Downsizing Well in Advance
If you’re a senior downsizing to a smaller home or you’re under a time limit, you’ll want to get downsizing done at least 90 days before the big move. Besides relieving some of the stress of a quick move, decluttering early will also help you root out everything you don’t need, particularly furniture. Moving large items can be costly, and you don’t want to pay professional movers in Edmonton to move items you’ll be donating or throwing away later.
Plus, home downsizing early gives you a chance to sell whatever items you can beforehand. Selling allows you to get these possessions out as soon as possible – plus, you’ll get some extra cash out of it to put toward the cost of moving in Edmonton!
Sort Your Belongings Properly
When sorting all of your possessions, they should be separated into four distinct piles: keep, sell, donate, and trash. Whatever you do, don’t make a ‘maybe’ pile – that pile will end up massive and you’ll be no closer than when you started. Planning a garage sale is a good way to get the ‘sell’ pile out of the way, or you could sell online through sites like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace. You’ll probably end up making a few separate trips to the dump and donation centers, so be prepared for that.
Declutter Systematically
Start with areas of the house you use the least, and then work your way upwards. Chances are, the items you’ll have trouble parting with aren’t in the laundry room or spare room. It will likely take longer for you to declutter rooms like your bedroom or kitchen, so plan home downsizing in advance for that and set up a schedule to keep yourself on track.
Prioritize Multipurpose Furniture
There are many types of furniture out there that can be multifunctional, whether it’s a fold-out couch or a coffee table with some extra storage space. When you’re downsizing to a smaller home, you want to conserve as much space as possible, so take advantage of that multipurpose furniture, and say goodbye to the furniture that just takes up extra space.
Get an Expert Moving Company in Edmonton
When in doubt, professionals can help with moving in Edmonton. Eager Beaver offers expert moving and packing services to take the stress of moving off your shoulders, so you can focus on other tasks before the big move. Contact us to discuss how we can make your moving process easier.
